That’s a wrap on the very first (but hopefully not last) Pinch of Yum Holiday Bucket List challenge!
Even though there’s lots more merriment and holiday-ing in the days ahead, we hope you were able to make something from the bucket list that made your day shine a bit brighter. Maybe you found a new seasonal favorite, were reminded of the nostalgia of a delicious holiday meal, or created some new holiday food memory magic.
Whatever it might be, we’re so grateful to have been around your table this year. ❤️ ✨
Winners
Here are the list of winners for each recipe:
Swedish Meatballs: Emily L.
Gingerbread Cookies: Amanda T.
House Favorite Cinnamon Rolls: Shannon S.
Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup: Ariel O.
Rosemary Pom Spritzer: Megan S.
Ang’s Tortellini Soup: Maggie S.
Caramelized Onion Dip: Lily A.
Chocolate Cookies: Mary H.
GRAND PRIZE: Julie L.
Thank you for your submissions – we had so many!
We picked a handful of them to share here. Beautiful, glorious, deliciousness!
Temps are dropping, days are shortening, and we’re getting hungry for all things cozy and warm – pretty sure it’s all just a scheme of the universe to get us to bust out our slow cookers.
So today let’s dust off the crockpots slash slow cookers slash whatever you want to call them and get them to magically make us something delicious (and easy – always, always easy) for dinner. Magic + delicious + easy: this is how we roll around here.
Let’s just address this right off the bat – there is absolutely a certain amount of food-fancy-ism in the cooking world related to use of the slow cooker. Like, there are people in the world who are above it. 😠I know, right? Does the slow cooker have a certain dowdy Midwestern vibe to it? Maybe a little bit. Maybe a lot. But does it make incredible meals that basically cook themselves? I repeat: INCREDIBLE MEALS THAT COOK THEMSELVES? This is life-changing, time-saving magic we’re talking about.
If you’re looking for a really good slow cooker, check out this one. It’s our tried-and-true favorite around here. Really any brand will do though. Just get to making these fall-apart, swoonworthy, cooked-for-you meals.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: The chicken shreds so easily right in the crockpot, and the long cooking time allows all the flavors to blend together into a really delicious flavor combo. The sausage gives it a hearty boost, too. YUM. It’s a good one!
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: At the risk of sounding Midwestern-slow-cooker-dowdy, this is a classic “dump it in and forget it” recipe. Slow cooker beef always turns out incredibly moist and tender, and this did not disappoint. You should sear the exterior of the meat first for best results, but if it’s Monday morning and you’re on the way out the door – no. Not happening. This is a forgiving recipe that can work either way. It’s really convenient and yummy with polenta or mashed potatoes or pasta.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: That’s right. Pasta. In the crockpot. It’s happening. So quick to layer all the ingredients together, and then you can leave it all day until dinner. Easiest recipe on the list, for sure! (and a personal favorite of mine thanks to all those veggies and cheese!)
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: This is a go-to for me when we are entertaining because I can leave it cooking all day and then just pop it in the oven at the end for browning, right when our friends walk in the door. Also: because of the slow, long cooking time, the meat gets really tender and flavorful, and it’s really easy to shred right in the crockpot once it’s cooked.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: Maybe I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but it’s easy! Also, the chicken becomes really moist and tender from all the liquids staying in the crockpot. It’ll create a bit of a broth right in the crockpot. Keep the veggies, broth, and some of the meat right in the crockpot and you’ll have your base for chicken noodle soup – just add the noodles! If you prefer to get a crispy skin at the end, you just need to put the chicken under the broiler for a little bit.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: It’s a good alternative option to making granola in the oven, especially if you don’t have access to an oven or you simply don’t want to use the oven and heat up the kitchen (I’m looking at you, California). It will yield a different (but still delicious) type of granola – one with fewer clusters and a softer texture.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: This chili recipe is perfect for the crockpot because the meat gets so tender and flavorful over the long cooking time. My friend Ang introduced us to this recipe and it’s been a favorite in our little friend circle ever since – it’s a great have-people-over-and-put-chili-on-anything kind of meal.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: This recipe = less hands-on time, and using the hand mixer saves lots of time and energy in the mashing process. It’s not the same perfect fluffiness as ricing the potatoes one at a time and mashing them by hand, but this is how we have it every year at Thanksgiving with Bjork’s family and it’s really darn good.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: This is a really easy recipe that yields delicious results! The peaches get a little caramelization from the crockpot (!!), and the topping is perfect. Talk about great for when you have guests for dinner – you can do it all ahead of time, but then still serve a nice warm cobbler when dinnertime rolls around.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: First of all, because red lentil curry is meatless and AMAZING. Secondly, lentils are so perfect for the crockpot because they get a great texture and they soak up all the flavors of the other ingredients during the long cooking time. Plus – easy!
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: Let me start by saying this one doesn’t look like much, but it is EVERYTHING. The non-slow-cooker version of this soup is what we make at Christmastime, and the slow cooker version is for busy weeknights all throughout the winter. The chicken gets really tender and is super easy to shred (saves time from boiling chicken and then chopping it), the wild rice can cook at its own super slow pace, and you add in the creamy roux to make it all luscious and velvety at the end.
Why it’s great for the slow cooker: The meat stays tender and flavorful, and the broth created in the crockpot can be used to make a delicious homemade gravy. GRAVY!!!
And that’s a wrap!
If you have other favorite slow cooker recipe ideas, please leave them in the comments because we’re a champion slow cooking team together and every recipe counts!
These cream cheese danishes are a thing of beauty!
Croissant dough layered with cream cheese, twisted up and baked with a pool of jam on top, and a drizzle of buttery glaze to finish. The sugared cranberries on top are just the bonus for decoration and a bite of tart crunch. Hoo, wow, I’ve been eating them on the reg lately, and those layers of cream cheesy goodness hit just right when they are warm out of the oven. This is my current weakness. And best of all? Everything here is from ALDI – they’re really bringing the holiday magic this year at really affordable prices.
Cream Cheese On Top Vs. Cream Cheese Inside The Layers
I tried these with a little puddle of cream cheese filling on the top, but since this dough (refrigerated croissant dough) really wants to pop up when it bakes, I felt like it was hard to get that dense cream cheese center I was going for.
Personally, I love the cream-cheese-in-the-layers approach because the cream cheese gets evenly distributed throughout the dough so you are guaranteed cream cheese – and just the right amount – in every bite.
Topping Options
How I think about the 3-way topping situation:
For flavor: strawberry jam
For color and sparkle: sugared cranberries
For beautiful sweetness: vanilla butter glaze drizzle
You can sub other types of jam (I’m a sucker for the classic strawberry, but raspberry, blackberry, or even something like fig or apricot could be awesome – and ALDI carries them all)! And you can use a different fruit to garnish in place of the sugared cranberries, or skip them altogether. The sugared cranberries do take some time, so I would recommend making those at least a few hours before, or even the day before, just to keep it really easy.
If you want to go all-out, some streusel crumbles on top would make it extra-danishy!
ALDI Faves For This Recipe
This recipe is sponsored by ALDI and that works out really well for us because, as I’ve mentioned, we *love* ALDI.
You can buy everything you need for this recipe at ALDI – most importantly, the croissants (“crescent rolls”), jam or fruit spread, and cream cheese.
You’ll also need some ALDI essentials as your extras which, if you’re me, you already have in your fridge anyway: organic eggs, organic milk, butter, powdered sugar, and cranberries.
I love ALDI year round but especially at the holidays because they make the holiday fun stuff (charcuterie, dips, snacks, candy, treats, seasonal fruit, meat and seafood, awesome cheese, drinks, even presents for the kids) more accessible and affordable.
BIG BIG FAN.
Pro Tip: Eat These Warm
The last thing to know about these little danishes is that they are really delicious when eaten warm, just a few minutes after coming out of the oven.
Let them cool enough to get the glaze on there without melting into a puddle, and then just sink your teeth into this very festive, warm, buttery, cream cheese and fruit deliciousness.
Everything about these cream cheese danishes will bring holiday joy to your kitchen! Twirls of crescent dough layered with cream cheese and baked with a pool of strawberry jam and a buttery glaze on top to finish. Add in those sugared cranberries to bring it right over the top!
Ingredients
Units
Cream Cheese Danishes
1 roll Bake House Creations Crescent Rolls
2ouncesHappy Farms Cream Cheese
1 tablespoongranulated sugar
1egg + 1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash)
1/2cupSpecially Selected Premium Strawberry Fruit Spread (I like a classic strawberry but this is also delicious with something more seasonal)
Make the sugared cranberries: Boil 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar for 3-4 minutes. Add washed and dried cranberries to the pot; stir to combine. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray and let cool for one hour (to make them sticky and not overly wet). Once cool and sticky, toss with the remaining 3/4 cup sugar to coat.
Make the cream cheese danishes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unroll the croissant dough out into one flat piece, and place on a clean work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out and press the seams together. You want to make a solid rectangle that is just a bit bigger than the original shape.
Using a butter knife, spread the cream cheese evenly over the croissant dough. Sprinkle with sugar.
Cut the dough into 4 long strips. Fold each strip in half (so the cream cheese isn’t getting all over your hands) and then twist each strip into a long rope. Roll the rope into a spiral to make the shape of the danish. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Mix the egg and milk to make an egg wash. Brush each danish with egg wash and dollop each danish with 1-2 tablespoons of the jam. Bake for 10 minutes; increase temperature to 400 and bake for 3-5 more minutes to get desired browning.
Finish and glaze: Remove from oven and let cool. While cooling, whisk the glaze ingredients together.
Top each danish with a few sugared cranberries (see notes below) and drizzle with glaze. I really (like, really) enjoy eating these warm. The cream cheese layer, the jammy goodness, the tart crunch from the cranberries… oof. So good!
Notes
I would suggest stirring up your jam a bit to make it more “saucy” before you add it over the top of the danish (like, don’t just put a big solid chunk of jelly or jam on top). If needed, you can add a tiny bit of water to the jam to make it more spreadable and saucy. When they come out of the oven, the jam will be running over the top and they look a bit messy, but once you get the cranberries and the glaze on there it will be a masterpiece.
The glaze is designed to set fast, so that you don’t have to wait too long or make too much of a mess to eat these! So once you mix it up, don’t wait too long to use it or it will set and become harder to drizzle.
When you sprinkle the sugar over the cream cheese, it might create a less-smooth texture with the cream cheese. This didn’t bother me because you fold the strips before you roll and bake them, so the cream cheese layer is tucked inside anyway (and it saves you the step of having to pull out the mixers)! But if it bothers you visually or texturally, you can always just use electric mixers to get your cream cheese and sugar worked together before you start spreading it on the dough.
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OKAY. How much do we love these meatballs? And this whole sandwich?
It’s an 11/10 for me. THEY ARE SO GOOD. The meatballs are jam-packed with flavor, golden brown on the outside, and perfectly tender. What a dream.
This whole thing comes together shockingly easy, especially if you use a little blitzer like this guy to mince all the meatball mix-ins! The meatballs will beg to be eaten straight out of the pan as an “appetizer” before you even get to the sandwich, but once you do get there, you can use any number of types of bread – soft French bread or baguette or pita, for example – to build the sandwich. It might be a bit low brow, but my bread-y element of choice is that pillowy, pre-made store-bought naan. Stuffed with all this goodness and folded into a naan-wich… oof. It’s just really good.
New favorite meal!
Sandos Made Easy with These Ingredients and Chopper
Golden brown chicken meatballs cozied up next to fixings like cucumbers, shallots, kewpie mayo, mint, a bit of chili crisp, and some fresh cilantro to make the ultimate chicken sando!
Ingredients
Units
Ginger Chicken Meatballs:
2 cloves garlic
1serrano pepper, stem removed
one 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
a bunch of fresh cilantro
3 tablespoonsfish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoonsbrown sugar
1 tablespooncornstarch
1poundground chicken
2 tablespoonsoil
For serving:
soft bread – either soft French bread or flatbread like pita or naan
Blitz garlic, serrano pepper, a bunch of fresh cilantro, and a piece of ginger in a small chopper or food processor until minced.
Add mixture to a large bowl. Mix with ground chicken, fish sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Roll into 12 meatballs.
In a large skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and let them begin to cook.
Add 2 tablespoons water; it will sizzle, so wear an apron and have your lid ready! Put the lid on the pan and let the meatballs cook for a few minutes. Uncover, flip, and repeat. Within about 10 minutes, the meatballs should be cooked through, tender, and nicely golden brown.
To serve, warm the bread so it’s nice and soft. Shmear with mayo, top with meatballs, sliced cucumber, sliced shallot, cilantro and mint, and a drizzle of chili crisp. Messy, saucy, and mind-blowingly delicious.
Notes
Sometimes it helps to cut the meatballs in half for layering on the sandwiches! And sometimes you can just go big and messy and not worry about it!
When I use naan (as pictured), I just use half of the naan per person, and then fold it in half almost like a quesadilla or more of a flat sandwich.
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